Joe Lunardi high on Syracuse

by crouton on Jan 30, 2012 5:46 PM EST

Right now Joe has SU has the #1 overall seed in his bracket. Excerpts are from his chat today. Nice to get some love :)

Scott (Chicago)

I'm an Orange follower in the Midwest. Assuming Melo comes back and Syracuse finishes strong...how much does/will the committee weight any potential losses in his absence when determining top seeds?

Joe Lunardi (4:23 PM)

If Melo comes back, I believe Syracuse will be the No. 1 overall seed. They are even now on my board.

Maheer (Syracuse) [via mobile]

Hey Joe! Who do you think looks like a strong overall #1 seed? Syracuse or Kentucky? Which team do you think has the chance to make the Final Four? Also, your thoughts on Syracuse? Thanks!

Joe Lunardi (4:48 PM)

It's still Syracuse, Maheer, and it's not really close (assuming Melo comes back).

matt (utah)

Does Calipari get his first title?

Joe Lunardi (4:58 PM)

Depends on Feb Melo.

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Comments

The last one made me chuckle

Syracuse '13

by OrangeCrush13 on Jan 30, 2012 9:29 PM EST reply actions

Yes, last response made me smile

Hopefully the the reunion will be this weekend

by crouton on Jan 30, 2012 9:44 PM EST up reply actions

I will say

I’d like to see an Anthony Davis/Fab Melo matchup.

"If I ain't gonna be part of the greatest, I gotta be the greatest myself." Busta Rhymes

by FeloniousPhunk on Jan 31, 2012 9:47 AM EST reply actions

People spend a lot of time talking about Kentucky having the most upside

because of all their freshman, but we’ve had 3-4 years of watching Callipairi 5 star freshman teams. At the point we know that despite being freshman, those Kentucky players peak in their development right around mid-late January. The Kentucky team you see today is essentially the one you will see in the tourney.

I don’t feel the same way about SU. Boeheim’s players always show the most growth in the off-season, but he also tends to find a way to get a little bit more out of some players in that tough Feb. Stretch going into tournament season. This year I think Waiters and Christmas both will find a way to step up their games during the tough stretch coming up.

by Pubsky on Jan 31, 2012 10:59 AM EST reply actions

I would tend to think the opposite

Sure, players can always get better. Fab has made great improvement over the course of the season. So have CJ and Southie. But, at this point, KJ is who he is. Scoop is who he is. I would even go so far as to say the same goes for Triche and Dion. I tend to think that, overall, there is more room for improvement with Kentucky than Syracuse. The question is which team will make the most of that potential. And that’s where experience comes in. A more experienced play can adjust and improve more quickly. A younger player is more likely to just keep doing what they’re doing until it finally works.

"If I ain't gonna be part of the greatest, I gotta be the greatest myself." Busta Rhymes

by FeloniousPhunk on Jan 31, 2012 11:21 AM EST up reply actions